It wasn’t the conviction for employment-insurance fraud, nor the failure to
pay provincial income taxes. Nor was it the raft of speeding tickets. In the
end, it was his refusal to pay his rent that did the minister in.

Daniel Breton was forced to resign on Thursday as Quebec environment minister
over news reports this week that he owes thousands of dollars to landlords in
Montreal.

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Although Mr. Breton, formerly a respected environmentalist, was never charged
with or convicted of a criminal offence, Premier Pauline Marois had to let him
go. The image of the province’s political class has taken a beating in recent
months, with new allegations of corruption surfacing almost daily at a public
inquiry. The Parti Québécois has pledged to repair that image, and can
ill-afford to turn a blind eye.

The news reports also noted that in 1988, Mr. Breton pleaded guilty to three
fraud charges after making false statements under the unemployment insurance
act, and in 2007 was fined $400 for failing to file his tax return. Ms. Marois
said she had known about the EI and tax matters, but the rent issue came as a
surprise.

Unlike most of his colleagues, Mr. Breton entered politics after years in
low-paying jobs as an environmental activist, and he lived in one of the poorest
areas of Montreal. He liked to drive fast cars even though he never owned one
himself. He was stopped by police once for speeding down a highway at more than
250 kilometres an hour.

“I know what it is like to lose a job, to lose an apartment, to live without
knowing if we will have a meal to eat at night,” Mr. Breton said in a brief
statement announcing his resignation from cabinet. He will stay on as a
backbencher. “I will show my solidarity and compassion with the people of my
riding who are among the poorest in Quebec.”

Mr. Breton, 40, had appeared anxious to bring his own brand of leadership to
the environment portfolio, and was accused last week of obstructing the
impartiality and independence of the province’s environmental assessment
board.

The news reports said Mr. Breton failed to comply with a December, 2009,
order from the province’s landlord and tenant board to pay 13 months, or $6,320,
in unpaid rent. In June, 2005, he was evicted from another apartment for failing
to comply with an order to pay his landlord $425 for a month’s rent. Including
interest, Mr. Breton now owes more than $7,000 in unpaid rent. He has not
explained why he did not pay.

Ms. Marois said she was informed of Mr. Breton’s brushes with the law and
that he was in a precarious financial situation after the Sûreté du Québec
conducted a routine background check on him when he was being considered for the
cabinet appointment. She said she was also informed about Mr. Breton’s unpaid
speeding tickets and ordered him to pay them immediately. She was also told that
his driver’s licence was suspended in 2011. But Ms. Marois insisted she knew
nothing about the unpaid rent until the story broke in the media on
Wednesday.

“With respect to the unpaid rent, Mr. Breton did not inform me,” Ms. Marois
said in the National Assembly.

The reports also said that when Mr. Breton moved out of the
apartments, he left them dilapidated, with dozens of empty wine bottles and
garbage scattered everywhere.

The Premier said she didn’t regret naming Mr. Breton to cabinet.
“We are all allowed to make mistakes and to be pardoned,” she insisted. She may
now be tempted to use the vacancy to address strong reservations in the business
community about having a vocal environmental activist at the head of a key
ministry.

Liberal Party interim leader Jean-Marc Fournier questioned
Premier Marois’s judgment in appointing to cabinet someone with such a
background. “Why did she shut her eyes and appoint him anyway?” Mr. Fournier
asked.

The Liberals and the Coalition Avenir Québec have been calling
for Mr. Breton’s resignation since he was accused last week of obstructing the
environmental assessment board. Mr. Breton’s departure was viewed as a victory
by the two opposition parties but a major loss by environmental groups who fear
a return to a less activist and more pro-business vision.

“Daniel Breton was a man of conviction who mastered the
environmental issues,” said Ugo Lapointe, spokesperson for the natural-resources
coalition Pour que le Québec ait meilleur mine. “As a minister, he symbolized
the hope of many for a better world.”

The Premier said she will hold the post for the time being, but is expected
to appoint a new minister soon.